ABSTRACT
The new millennium has witnessed the continued growth of interest in how people spend their spare time, especially their leisure time and non-work time. Some com - mentators have gone as far as to suggest that it is leisure time – how we use it and its meaning to individuals and families – that defines our lives, as a focus for nonwork activity. This reflects a growing interest in what people consume in these non-work periods, particularly those times that are dedicated to travel and holidays which are more concentrated periods of leisure time. This interest is becoming an international phenomenon known as ‘tourism’: the use of this leisure time to visit different places, destinations and localities which often (but not exclusively) feature in the holidays and trips people take part in. The World Travel and Tourism Council (WTTC) estimates that travel and tourism as economic activities generate around US$6 billion, which is expected to grow to US$10 billion by 2015. At a global scale, travel and tourism supports around 260 million jobs: this is equivalent to 8 per cent of world employment and 9 per cent of world GDP.
